Electronic device and control method thereof

Abstract

An electronic device is disclosed. The present electronic device comprises: a communication interface for communicating with an external device; a memory for storing at least one instruction; and at least one processor for executing the at least one instruction, wherein the at least one processor acquires first power information when the electronic device is switched on, compares the first power information with second power information received from the external device, so as to identify a smart plug device connected to the electronic device, thereby acquiring ownership information of the smart plug device, and registers the electronic device by using user information including the acquired ownership information of the smart plug device, and the external device includes at least one of the smart plug device, a server, and a user terminal device.

Description

Electronic device and control method thereof

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and a method for controlling the same, and more specifically, to an electronic device and a method for controlling the same that can identify a smart plug device connected to the electronic device and register the electronic device to a user account using ownership information of the smart plug device.

[0002] Thanks to advancements in electronic technology, various types of electronic devices are being used in daily life. Among these devices may be those that connect to smart plugs to transmit and receive power or user information.

[0003] In order to utilize electronic devices connected to these smart plugs, users had to perform tasks such as registering new devices with the service (or server) or configuring the devices to connect to the Internet.

[0004] Smart plugs can perform the function of measuring power consumption whenever an electronic device operates and transmitting it to other devices. Using such smart plugs allows power information, such as the amount of electricity consumed by the electronic device connected to the smart plug, to be provided to the user.

[0005] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device comprises a communication interface for communicating with an external device, a memory for storing at least one instruction, and at least one processor for executing said at least one instruction. The processor may acquire first power information when the electronic device is switched on, compare the first power information with second power information received from the external device to identify a smart plug device connected to the electronic device and acquire ownership information of the smart plug device, and proceed with registering the electronic device to a user account of the electronic device using user information including the acquired ownership information of the smart plug device. The external device may include at least one of the smart plug device, a server, or a user terminal device.

[0006] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, a smart plug device comprises a communication interface for communicating with an external device, a memory for storing at least one instruction, and at least one processor for executing said at least one instruction. The at least one processor may acquire second power information when power increases based on power supplied to the electronic device, and transmit said second power information to the external device to proceed with the registration of the electronic device to a user account of the electronic device based on said second power information. The second power information may include at least one of power, time, or power signal when power supplied to the smart plug device increases.

[0007] Additionally, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, a control method for an electronic device may include the steps of acquiring first power information when the electronic device is switched on, comparing the first power information with second power information received from an external device to identify a smart plug device connected to the electronic device and acquiring ownership information of the smart plug device, and registering the electronic device to a user account of the electronic device using user information including the acquired ownership information of the smart plug device. The external device may include at least one of the smart plug device, a server, or a user terminal device.

[0008] Additionally, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, a control method for a smart plug device installed in a power supply path of an electronic device may include the steps of obtaining second power information when power increases based on power supplied to the electronic device, and transmitting the second power information to an external device to proceed with the registration of the electronic device to a user account of the electronic device based on the second power information.

[0009] Additionally, a non-transient readable recording medium according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure stores a program for executing a method of controlling an electronic device, the program comprising the steps of: acquiring first power information when the electronic device is switched on; identifying a smart plug device connected to the electronic device by comparing the first power information with second power information received from an external device to acquire ownership information of the smart plug device; and registering the electronic device to a user account of the electronic device using user information including the acquired ownership information of the smart plug device. The external device may include at least one of the smart plug device, a server, or a user terminal device.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining the operation of an electronic device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an electronic device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a smart plug device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing an example of a screen displayed by an external device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining the operation of proceeding with the registration of an electronic device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 6 is a drawing for explaining the operation of identifying a smart plug connected to an electronic device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 7 is a drawing for explaining the operation of proceeding with the registration of an electronic device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 8 is a drawing for explaining the operation of proceeding with the registration of an electronic device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing the order in which an electronic device, a smart plug device, and an external device operate according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of proceeding with the registration of an electronic device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a smart plug device transmitting information to proceed with the registration of an electronic device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] The terms used in the various embodiments of this Disclosure have been selected to be as widely used and general as possible, taking into account their functions within this disclosure; however, these terms may vary depending on the intent of those skilled in the art, case law, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Additionally, in specific cases, terms have been selected at the applicant's discretion, and in such cases, their meanings will be described in detail in the relevant description section of this disclosure. Therefore, terms used in this disclosure should be defined not merely by their names, but based on their meanings and the overall content of this disclosure.

[0022] The various embodiments of the present disclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in the present disclosure to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutions of said embodiments.

[0023] In relation to the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components.

[0024] The singular form of the noun corresponding to the item may include one or multiple items, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0025] In the present disclosure, each of the phrases such as “A or B”, “at least one of A and B”, “at least one of A or B”, “A, B or C”, “at least one of A, B and C”, and “at least one of A, B, or C” may include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase, or all possible combinations thereof.

[0026] Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used simply to distinguish a component from another component and do not limit the components in other aspects (e.g., importance or order).

[0027] Where any (e.g., 1st) component is referred to as "coupled" or "connected" to another (e.g., 2nd) component, with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicationly," it means that the component may be connected to the other component directly (e.g., via a wire), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0028] Terms such as "include" or "have" are intended to specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in this disclosure, and do not preclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0029] When it is said that a component is "connected," "combined," "supported," or "in contact" with another component, this includes not only cases where the components are directly connected, combined, supported, or in contact, but also cases where they are indirectly connected, combined, supported, or in contact through a third component.

[0030] When it is said that a component is located "on" another component, this includes not only cases where one component is in contact with the other, but also cases where another component exists between the two components.

[0031]

[0032] *21 The term “and / or” includes a combination of multiple related described components or any of the multiple related described components.

[0033] In the present disclosure, a "module" or "part" performs at least one function or operation and may be implemented in hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software. Additionally, a plurality of "modules" or a plurality of "parts" may be integrated into at least one module and implemented by at least one processor, except for a "module" or "part" that needs to be implemented in specific hardware.

[0034] Meanwhile, various elements and areas in the drawings are depicted schematically. Accordingly, the technical concept of the present disclosure is not limited by the relative sizes or spacing depicted in the attached drawings.

[0035] In the present disclosure, the term "user" may refer to a person using an electronic device or a device using an electronic device (e.g., an artificial intelligence electronic device).

[0036] An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0037] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining the operation of an electronic device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 1, the electronic device (100) may be at least one of various types of home appliances. For example, the electronic device (100) may include at least one of an air conditioner (100-1), a washing machine (100-2), and a display device (100-3) as illustrated, but is not limited thereto, and may include various types of home appliances such as a cleaning robot, a vacuum cleaner, and a television not illustrated in the drawing. In addition, the aforementioned home appliances are merely examples, and in addition to the aforementioned home appliances, a device capable of performing the operation described below by being connected to a smart plug device (200), a user terminal device (400), or a server (300) may be included in the electronic device (100) according to one embodiment.

[0039] A smart plug device refers to an electronic device that performs the function of measuring power consumption whenever an electronic device operates and transmitting the data to another device. By using such a smart plug device, power information, such as the amount of electricity consumed by the electronic device connected to the smart plug device, can be provided to the user.

[0040] For example, a smart plug device (200) is installed in the power supply path of an electronic device (100) to acquire power information supplied to the electronic device (100), and can transmit the acquired power information for the electronic device (100) to an external device such as a server (300) or a user terminal device (400).

[0041] The server (300) may include a communication module capable of communicating with another server, electronic device (100), smart plug device (200), or user terminal device (400), at least one processor capable of processing data received from another server, electronic device (100), smart plug device (200), or user terminal device (400), and at least one memory capable of storing a program for processing data or processed data. This server (300) may be implemented as various computing devices such as a workstation, cloud, data drive, or data station. The server (300) may be implemented as one or more servers physically or logically separated based on functions, detailed configurations of functions, or data, and may transmit and receive data and process the transmitted and received data through communication between each server.

[0042] The server (300) can perform functions such as managing user accounts, registering electronic devices (100) associated with user accounts, and managing or controlling registered electronic devices (100). For example, a user can create a user account by accessing the server (300) through a user terminal device (400). A user account can be identified by an ID and password set by the user. The server (300) can register electronic devices (100) to user accounts according to a set procedure. For example, the server (300) can register, manage, and control electronic devices (100) by linking identification information of the electronic device (100) (e.g., serial number or MAC address, etc.) to the user account. A user terminal device (400) may include a communication module capable of communicating with an electronic device (100) or a server (300), a user interface that receives user input or outputs information to a user, at least one processor that controls the operation of the user terminal device (400), and at least one memory in which a program for controlling the operation of the user terminal device (400) is stored.

[0043] The user terminal device (400) may be carried by the user or placed in the user's home or office, etc. The user terminal device (400) may include, but is not limited to, a personal computer, terminal, portable telephone, smartphone, handheld device, wearable device, etc.

[0044] A program, i.e., an application, for controlling an electronic device (100) can be stored in the memory of the user terminal device (400). The application may be sold with the user terminal device (400) installed, or may be downloaded and installed from an external server.

[0045] A user can create a user account by connecting to a server (300) by running an application installed on a user terminal device (400), and register an electronic device (100) by communicating with the server (300) based on the logged-in user account.

[0046] For example, if the electronic device (100) is operated in accordance with the procedure guided by the application installed on the user terminal device (400) so that the electronic device (100) can be connected to the server (300), the electronic device (100) can be registered to the user account by registering the identification information of the electronic device (100) (e.g., serial number or MAC address, etc.) to the corresponding user account on the server (300).

[0047] The user can control the electronic device (100) using an application installed on the user terminal device (400). For example, when the user logs into a user account using an application installed on the user terminal device (400), the electronic device (100) registered to the user account appears, and when the user inputs a control command for the electronic device (100), the control command can be transmitted to the electronic device (100) through the server (300).

[0048] However, this is not limited to this, and as described later in FIGS. 2 to 11, an electronic device (100) connected to a smart plug device (200) can automatically register the electronic device (100) using the user's information without direct intervention by the user.

[0049] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an electronic device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 2, the electronic device (100) includes a communication interface (110), a memory (120), and at least one processor (130).

[0051] The communication interface (110) can communicate with an external device such as a smart plug device (200), a server (300), or a user terminal device (400). In particular, the communication interface (110) can receive power information or user information from an external device.

[0052] The communication interface (110) may include wired or wireless input / output interfaces (or input / output terminals) according to various standards. For example, one or more connection interfaces may include various interfaces such as HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface), MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link), USB (Universal Serial Bus), DP (Display Port), Thunderbolt, VGA (Video Graphics Array) port, RGB port, D-SUB (D-subminiature), DVI (Digital Visual Interface), AP-based Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi, Wireless LAN Network), Bluetooth, Zigbee, wired / wireless LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), Ethernet, IEEE 1394, AES / EBU (Audio Engineering Society / European Broadcasting Union), Optical, Coaxial, etc.

[0053] According to an embodiment, the memory (120) may store data necessary for various embodiments of the present disclosure. Depending on the purpose of data storage, the memory (120) may be implemented in the form of a memory embedded in the electronic device (100) or in the form of a memory that can be attached to and detached from the electronic device (100).

[0054] For example, data for driving the electronic device (100) may be stored in memory embedded in the electronic device (100), and data for the expansion function of the electronic device (100) may be stored in memory that is detachable from the electronic device (100).

[0055] In the case of memory embedded in an electronic device (100), it may be implemented in the form of volatile memory (e.g., DRAM (dynamic RAM), SRAM (static RAM), or SDRAM (synchronous dynamic RAM), etc.), non-volatile memory (e.g., OTPROM (one time programmable ROM), PROM (programmable ROM), EPROM (erasable and programmable ROM), EEPROM (electrically erasable and programmable ROM), mask ROM, flash ROM, flash memory (e.g., NAND flash or NOR flash), etc.), hard drive, or solid state drive (SSD).

[0056] In the case of a memory that can be attached to and detached from an electronic device (100), it can be implemented in the form of a memory card (e.g., CF (compact flash), SD (secure digital), Micro-SD (micro secure digital), Mini-SD (mini secure digital), xD (extreme digital), MMC (multi-media card), etc.) or an external memory that can be connected to a USB port (e.g., USB memory).

[0057] The memory (120) may include various instructions required for the operation of the processor (130). Here, the instructions may include an instruction for obtaining first power information when the electronic device (100) is switched on, an instruction for identifying a smart plug device (200) connected to the electronic device (100) and obtaining ownership information of the smart plug device (200), an instruction for registering the electronic device (100) using user information, and an instruction for receiving second power information of the smart plug device (200) identified from an external device.

[0058] According to an embodiment, at least one processor (130) controls the overall operation of the electronic device (100). Specifically, at least one processor (130) is connected to each component of the electronic device (100) to control the overall operation of the electronic device (100).

[0059] According to an embodiment, at least one processor (130) can control a smart plug device (200), a server (300), or a user terminal device (400).

[0060] At least one processor (130) can perform the operation of an electronic device (100) according to various embodiments by executing at least one instruction stored in memory.

[0061] According to an embodiment, at least one processor (130) may be implemented as a digital signal processor (DSP) that processes digital signals, a microprocessor, or a TCON (Timing controller). However, it is not limited thereto, and may include or be defined by one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), a Micro Controller Unit (MCU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a controller, an application processor (AP), a communication processor (CP), an ARM processor, or an AI (Artificial Intelligence) processor. Additionally, at least one processor (130) may be implemented as a System on Chip (SoC) or Large Scale Integration (LSI) with a built-in processing algorithm, or may be implemented in the form of a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). At least one processor (130) can perform various functions by executing computer executable instructions stored in memory.

[0062] At least one processor (130) may include one or more of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), APU (Accelerated Processing Unit), MIC (Many Integrated Core), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), NPU (Neural Processing Unit), hardware accelerator, or machine learning accelerator.

[0063] At least one processor (130) can control one or any combination of other components of the electronic device and can perform operations or data processing related to communication. At least one processor (130) can execute one or more programs or instructions stored in memory. For example, at least one processor (130) can perform the method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure by executing one or more instructions stored in memory.

[0064] If the method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of operations, the plurality of operations may be performed by a single processor or by a plurality of processors.

[0065] For example, when the first operation, the second operation, and the third operation are performed by the method according to the embodiment, the first operation, the second operation, and the third operation may all be performed by the first processor, or the first operation and the second operation may be performed by the first processor (e.g., a general-purpose processor) and the third operation may be performed by the second processor (e.g., an artificial intelligence dedicated processor).

[0066] At least one processor (130) may be implemented as a single core processor including one core, or as one or more multicore processors including multiple cores (e.g., homogeneous multicore or heterogeneous multicore).

[0067] When at least one processor (130) is implemented as a multi-core processor, each of the multiple cores included in the multi-core processor may include internal processor memory such as cache memory or on-chip memory, and a common cache shared by multiple cores may be included in the multi-core processor.

[0068] Each of the multiple cores (or some of the multiple cores) included in the multi-core processor may independently read and execute program instructions for implementing the method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, or all (or some of) of the multiple cores may be linked together to read and execute program instructions for implementing the method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0069] According to an embodiment, at least one processor (130) can acquire first power information when the electronic device (100) is switched on, and by comparing the first power information with second power information received from an external device, identify the smart plug device (200) connected to the electronic device (100) and acquire ownership information of the smart plug device (200).

[0070] Here, the first power information may include at least one of power, time, or power signal when the electronic device (100) is switched on. The second power information may include at least one of power, time, or power signal when the power supplied from the smart plug increases.

[0071] Here, the external device may include at least one of a smart plug device (200), a server (300), or a user terminal device (400). The operation of receiving second power information from the external device is described in detail in FIG. 6.

[0072] Additionally, if the difference between the time when the electronic device (100) is switched on among the first power information and the time when the power supplied by the smart plug device (200) increases among the second power information is less than or equal to a preset value, and if the smart plug device (200) is registered to a user account, the processor (130) can obtain ownership information of the smart plug device (200) based on the registered user account.

[0073] Here, the ownership information of the smart plug device (200) may refer to user information stored in the user account to which the smart plug device (200) is registered. For example, if the smart plug device (200) is registered to a user account, the ownership information of the smart plug device (200) may refer to ownership information regarding the smart plug registered to the user account.

[0074] At least one processor (130) can proceed with the registration of an electronic device (100) using user information including ownership information of a smart plug device (200) acquired.

[0075] For example, the owner of the smart plug device (200) can be identified as the owner of the electronic device (100) to proceed with the registration of the electronic device (100) to the same user account as the user account to which the smart plug device (200) is registered.

[0076] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a smart plug device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 3, a smart plug device (200) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a communication interface (210), a memory (220), and at least one processor (230). Parts that overlap with the description above will be omitted or abbreviated below.

[0078] The communication interface (210) can communicate with an electronic device (100), a server (300), or a user terminal device (400). In particular, the communication interface (210) can transmit power information or user information to the electronic device (100), the server (300), or the user terminal device (400).

[0079] For example, the communication interface (210) can transmit the second power information to an external device to proceed with the registration of the electronic device (100) based on the second power information when the power supplied to the electronic device (100) increases.

[0080] Here, the second power information may include at least one of power, time, or power signal when the power supplied from the smart plug device (200) increases.

[0081] The memory (220) may include various instructions required for the operation of the processor (230). Here, the instructions may include an instruction to acquire second power information when power increases based on the power supplied to the electronic device (100), an instruction to transmit the second power information to an external device to proceed with the registration of the electronic device (100) based on the second power information, etc.

[0082] The memory (220) may store second power information including at least one of power, time, or power signal when the power supplied from the smart plug device (200) increases. However, it is not limited thereto, and the supplied power or consumed power may be measured and stored whenever the electronic device (100) connected to the smart plug device (200) operates.

[0083] According to an embodiment, at least one processor (230) controls the overall operation of the smart plug device (200). Specifically, at least one processor (230) is connected to each component of the smart plug device (200) and can control the overall operation of the smart plug device (200).

[0084] According to an embodiment, at least one processor (230) can control an electronic device (100), a server (300), or a user terminal device (400).

[0085] At least one processor (230) can perform the operation of a smart plug device (200) according to various embodiments by executing at least one instruction stored in memory.

[0086] For example, at least one processor (230) can obtain second power information when the power increases based on the power supplied to the electronic device (100).

[0087] Additionally, at least one processor (230) can transmit the second power information to an external device to proceed with the registration of the electronic device (100) based on the second power information.

[0088] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing an example of a screen displayed by an external device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0089] Referring to FIG. 4, when an electronic device (100) is connected to a smart plug device (200) registered to a user account, the user terminal device (400) can receive data through the server (300) and monitor power information of the electronic device (100) or the smart plug device (200).

[0090] For example, the user terminal device (400) may receive data regarding the power usage of the electronic device (100) through the server (300), display the power usage for one month in the form of a graph, and provide it to the user through the display (410).

[0091] Referring to FIG. 4, the server (300) can obtain data such as power information of the electronic device (100), power information of the smart plug device (200), and user information based on various data received from a smart plug device (200), a user terminal device (400), or an electronic device (100) connected through a network.

[0092] For example, the server (300) can receive second power information of the smart plug device (200) from the smart plug device (200) and store it in a database (DB).

[0093] Referring to FIG. 4, the smart plug device (200) can transmit power information necessary for the electronic device (100) to be registered with the server (300) to another device, and by transmitting the power information of the smart plug device (200) to another device, the power consumption of the electronic device (100) can be monitored.

[0094] However, it is not limited to this, and the smart plug device (200) may also control the power of the electronic device (100) to be turned on and off through an application stored in the user terminal device (400).

[0095] FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining the operation of proceeding with the registration of an electronic device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0096] At least one processor (130) of the electronic device (100) can perform communication with at least one external device among the smart plug device (200), server (300), or user terminal device (400), thereby enabling the registration of the electronic device (100) using user information of the smart plug device (200) without user intervention.

[0097] Specifically, at least one processor (130) of the electronic device (100) can identify a smart plug device (200) connected to the electronic device (100) based on second power information received from at least one external device among a smart plug device (200), a server (300), or a user terminal device (400).

[0098] For example, when an electronic device (100) is connected to a smart plug device (200), at least one processor (130) can identify the smart plug device (200) connected to the electronic device (100) to verify the ownership information of the electronic device (100), obtain the ownership information of the smart plug device (200), and proceed with the registration of the electronic device (100) using the obtained ownership information.

[0099] Specifically, to obtain ownership information of the smart plug device (200), the smart plug device (200) connected to the electronic device (100) can be identified by comparing the first power information when the electronic device (100) is switched on and the second power information when the power supplied from the smart plug device (200) increases.

[0100] When a smart plug device (200) connected to an electronic device (100) is identified, the electronic device (100) can obtain ownership information of the smart plug device (200) through an external device.

[0101] Based on the ownership information of the acquired smart plug device (200), the electronic device (100) can identify that the owner of the smart plug device (200) is the owner of the electronic device (100). That is, registration of the electronic device (100) can be performed based on the user information of the registered smart plug device (200).

[0102] For example, if at least one processor (130) has a difference value between the time when the electronic device (100) is switched on among the first power information and the time when the power supplied by the smart plug device (200) increases among the second power information, the processor (130) can proceed with the registration of the electronic device (100) using the user information of the smart plug device (200).

[0103] On the other hand, at least one processor (130) can identify the smart plug device as a smart plug device not connected to the electronic device (100) if the difference between the time when the electronic device (100) is switched on in the first power information and the time when the power supplied by the smart plug device increases in the second power information exceeds a preset value.

[0104] FIG. 6 is a drawing for explaining the operation of identifying a smart plug connected to an electronic device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0105] Referring to FIG. 6, when an electronic device (100) is connected to a smart plug device (200) and the power of the electronic device (100) is turned on, at least one processor (130) of the electronic device (100) can acquire and store first power information including at least one of power, time, or power signal when the electronic device (100) is switched on.

[0106] In this case, at least one processor (230) of the smart plug device (200) can obtain second power information when the power increases based on the power supplied to the electronic device (100).

[0107] For example, when the power supplied from the smart plug device (200) among the second power information increases, the time information is timestamp(t sp1 If = 234567895), then at least one processor (230) of the smart plug device (200) timestamp(t sp1 Based on = 234567895)(61), identification information (d) of the smart plug device (200) sp = AE32) can be obtained, and timestamp and identification information can be stored in memory (220).

[0108] When the smart plug device (200) transmits timestamp and identification information to the server (300), the server (300) can store power information or identification information for the smart plug in a database. For example, the server (300) may store power information and identification information for each smart plug in the form of a table (62), as shown in FIG. 6.

[0109] When the server (300) identifies a smart plug device (200) connected to an electronic device (100) based on a database of smart plugs, the electronic device (100) obtains ownership information of the identified smart plug device (200) from the server (300), and can proceed with the registration of the electronic device (100) based on the obtained ownership information of the smart plug device (200).

[0110] FIG. 7 is a drawing for explaining the operation of proceeding with the registration of an electronic device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0111] Referring to FIG. 7, when an electronic device (100) is connected to a smart plug device (200) as a new device, the user terminal device (400) can identify the connection of the new device through a Client App (S471). Once the connection of the new device is identified, the user terminal device (400) starts an onboarding procedure through a Client App (S472) and can verify the ownership information of the electronic device (100) without user intervention through the operation of the aforementioned electronic device (100) or smart plug device (200) (S473).

[0112] When the user terminal device (400) confirms the ownership information of the electronic device (100) through the Client App, the onboarding procedure for the electronic device (100) can be successfully completed (S474).

[0113] FIG. 8 is a drawing for explaining the operation of proceeding with the registration of an electronic device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0114] At least one processor (130) can compare the first power information and at least two second power information when at least two second power informations are simultaneously received from an external device.

[0115] At least one processor (130) can obtain ownership information of a smart plug device (200) connected to an electronic device (100) based on the second power information among at least two second power informations, the second power information having the smallest difference from the first power information, and the difference from the first power information is less than or equal to a preset value.

[0116] For example, when Device 1 (100-1) at a neighbor's house and Device 2 (100-2) at a user's house are each connected to a smart plug device (200-1, 200-2), the user terminal device (400) can identify the connection between Device 1 and Device 2 through a Client App (S481).

[0117] The user terminal device (400) starts the onboarding procedure for Device 1 through the Client App (S482).

[0118] If the user terminal device (400) compares the second power information of the smart plug device (200-2) with the first power information of Device 1 (100-1) based on user information stored in the server (300) through the Client App, and identifies that the difference from the second power information exceeds a preset value, it fails to verify ownership of Device 1 (S483).

[0119] Next, the user terminal device (400) starts the onboarding procedure for Device 2 through the Client App (S484).

[0120] The user terminal device (400) compares the second power information of the smart plug device (200-2) and the first power information of Device 2 (100-2) based on user information stored in the server (300) through the Client App, and if it is identified that the second power information is less than or equal to a preset value, it succeeds in verifying ownership of Device 2 (S485).

[0121] However, if the difference between the first power information of both Device 1 and Device 2 and the second power information of the smart plug device (200-2) is less than or equal to a preset value, at least one processor (130) may obtain ownership information of the smart plug device (200-2) connected to Device 2 through the server (300) based on the second power information that has the smallest difference from the first power information.

[0122] When the user terminal device (400) confirms the ownership information of Device 2 (100-2) through the Client App, the onboarding procedure for Device 2 (100-2) can be successfully completed (S476).

[0123] FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing the order in which an electronic device, a smart plug device, and an external device operate according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0124] Referring to FIG. 9, the electronic device (100) acquires first power information of the electronic device (S910). Here, the first power information includes at least one of power, time, or power signal when the electronic device (100) is switched on.

[0125] The smart plug device (200) can acquire second power information supplied from the smart plug device (200) (S920) and transmit it to an external device such as a server (300) or a user terminal device (400).

[0126] The external device can identify the smart plug device (200) corresponding to the identification information of the electronic device (100) by comparing the identification information of all smart plug devices stored in the external device with the identification information of the electronic device (100) received from the electronic device (100) (S930).

[0127] When an external device transmits the second power information of the identified smart plug device (200) to the electronic device (100), the electronic device (100) compares the first power information and the second power information to obtain ownership information of the connected smart plug device (200) (S940).

[0128] The electronic device (100) can automatically proceed with the registration of the electronic device (100) using user information of the smart plug device (200) (S950).

[0129] However, it is not limited to this, and the electronic device (100) may perform the operation described above by performing a communication connection with an access point based on access point (AP) information and user information of the smart plug device (200) obtained from an external device.

[0130] FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of proceeding with the registration of an electronic device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0131] Referring to FIG. 10, the electronic device can acquire first power information when the electronic device is switched on, and by comparing the first power information with second power information received from an external device, identify the smart plug device connected to the electronic device and acquire ownership information of the smart plug device (S1010).

[0132] Here, the ownership information of the smart plug device may refer to user information stored in the user account to which the smart plug device is registered. For example, if the smart plug device is registered to a user account, the ownership information of the smart plug device may refer to the ownership information regarding the smart plug registered to the user account.

[0133] The electronic device can proceed with the registration of the electronic device using user information including ownership information of the acquired smart plug device (S1020).

[0134] Here, user information may include at least one of the registered user account information, user personal information, ownership information, or usage history information of the smart plug device.

[0135] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a smart plug device transmitting information to proceed with the registration of an electronic device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0136] Referring to FIG. 11, the smart plug device obtains second power information when the power increases based on the power supplied to the electronic device (S1110).

[0137] The smart plug device transmits the second power information to an external device to proceed with the registration of the electronic device based on the second power information (S1120).

[0138] The method of registering an electronic device described in FIGS. 10 and 11 may be performed by a device having various configurations such as FIGS. 2 and 3 described above, but is not necessarily limited thereto and may be performed by a device having various configurations.

[0139] The various embodiments described above may be implemented as individual embodiments, or at least one embodiment may be combined with one another, either wholly or partially, to be implemented together in a single device.

[0140] According to the various embodiments described above, a new electronic device can be automatically registered to a user account based on user information of a smart plug without direct user intervention. Ultimately, this can improve the user experience.

[0141] Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented as software stored on a machine-readable storage media that can be mounted on or connected to a smartphone, a user terminal device, and various other electronic devices (e.g., a computer).

[0142] Specifically, a non-transient readable storage medium may be provided that stores software for sequentially performing the steps of acquiring first power information when an electronic device is switched on, identifying a smart plug device connected to the electronic device by comparing the first power information and second power information received from an external device to acquire ownership information of the smart plug device, and proceeding with the registration of the electronic device using user information including the acquired ownership information of the smart plug device.

[0143] A device equipped with such a non-transient readable medium can perform various operations such as tag identification corresponding to user actions described in the various embodiments above, verification of importance per multiple frames, and generation of edited images.

[0144] In non-transitory readable storage media, 'non-transitory' simply means that the storage medium does not contain a signal and is tangible; it does not distinguish whether data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily on the storage medium.

[0145] Alternatively, a program for performing the methods according to the various embodiments described above may be distributed online through an application store. In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily created in a storage medium such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a relay server.

[0146] Each component (e.g., module or program) according to various embodiments may consist of a single or multiple entities, and some of the aforementioned sub-components may be omitted, or other sub-components may be further included in various embodiments. Generally or additionally, some components (e.g., module or program) may be integrated into a single entity to perform the same or similar functions as those performed by each of the respective components prior to integration.

[0147] Operations performed by a module, program, or other component according to various embodiments may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or at least some operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or other operations may be added.

[0148] Although preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. It is understood that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essence of the present disclosure as claimed in the claims, and such modifications should not be understood individually from the technical spirit or perspective of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. In an electronic device, Communication interface for communicating with an external device; Memory for storing at least one instruction; and It includes at least one processor that executes the above at least one instruction; and The above-mentioned at least one processor is, Acquiring first power information when the electronic device is switched on, comparing the first power information with second power information received from the external device to identify a smart plug device connected to the electronic device and acquiring ownership information of the smart plug device, Using user information including ownership information of the smart plug device obtained above, the registration of the electronic device to the user account of the electronic device is performed, and The above external device is an electronic device comprising at least one of the smart plug device, server, or user terminal device.

2. In Paragraph 1, The above at least one processor Based on the above first power information, identification information of the electronic device is obtained and transmitted to the external device, and An electronic device that, when the external device identifies a smart plug device corresponding to the identification information of the electronic device by comparing the identification information of all smart plug devices stored in the external device with the identification information of the electronic device received from the electronic device, receives second power information of the identified smart plug device from the external device.

3. In Paragraph 1, The above first power information is, The above electronic device includes at least one of power, time, or power signal when switched on, and The above second power information is, An electronic device comprising at least one of power, time, or power signal when power supplied from a smart plug device increases.

4. In Paragraph 1, The above at least one processor An electronic device that, if the difference between the time when the electronic device is switched on among the first power information and the time when the power supplied by the smart plug device increases among the second power information is less than or equal to a preset value, proceeds to register the electronic device to the user account of the electronic device using the user information of the smart plug device.

5. In Paragraph 1, The above-mentioned at least one processor is, An electronic device that acquires ownership information based on the registered user account when the smart plug device is registered to a user account.

6. In Paragraph 1, The above user information is, An electronic device comprising at least one of registered user account information, user personal information, ownership information, or usage history information of the smart plug device.

7. In Paragraph 1, The above-mentioned at least one processor is, An electronic device that performs a communication connection with an access point based on access point (AP) information and user information of the smart plug device obtained from the external device, and proceeds with the registration of the electronic device to the user account of the electronic device using the user information of the smart plug device.

8. In Paragraph 1, The above-mentioned at least one processor is, An electronic device that identifies the smart plug device as a smart plug device not connected to the electronic device when the difference between the time when the electronic device is switched on among the first power information and the time when the power supplied by the smart plug device increases among the second power information exceeds a preset value.

9. In Paragraph 1, When at least two second power information is simultaneously received from the above external device, the first power information and the at least two second power information are compared, and An electronic device that acquires ownership information of a smart plug device connected to the electronic device based on the second power information among at least two second power informations, wherein the difference from the first power information is less than or equal to a preset value and the difference from the first power information is the smallest.

10. In a smart plug device installed in the power supply path of an electronic device, Communication interface for communicating with an external device; Memory for storing at least one instruction; and It includes at least one processor that executes the above at least one instruction; and The above-mentioned at least one processor is, Based on the power supplied to the above electronic device, second power information is obtained when the power increases, and Based on the above second power information, the second power information is transmitted to the external device to proceed with the registration of the electronic device to the user account of the electronic device, and The above second power information is, A smart plug device comprising at least one of power, time, or power signal when the power supplied by the smart plug device increases.

11. In a method for controlling an electronic device, A step of obtaining first power information when the electronic device is switched on, comparing the first power information with second power information received from an external device to identify a smart plug device connected to the electronic device and obtaining ownership information of the smart plug device; and The method includes the step of registering the electronic device to the user account of the electronic device using user information including ownership information of the smart plug device obtained above; A control method comprising at least one of the smart plug device, server, or user terminal device, wherein the external device described above includes the smart plug device, server, or user terminal device.

12. In Paragraph 11, The step of the electronic device acquiring identification information of the electronic device based on the first power information and transmitting it to the external device; and A control method further comprising the step of: when the external device identifies a smart plug device corresponding to the identification information of the electronic device by comparing the identification information of all smart plug devices stored in the external device with the identification information of the electronic device received from the electronic device, receiving second power information of the identified smart plug device from the external device.

13. In Paragraph 11, The above first power information is, The above electronic device includes at least one of power, time, or power signal when switched on, and The above second power information is, A control method comprising at least one of power, time, or power signal when power supplied from a smart plug device increases.

14. In Paragraph 11, The step of proceeding with the registration of the above electronic device is, A control method comprising: a step of, if the difference between the time when the electronic device is switched on among the first power information and the time when the power supplied by the smart plug device increases among the second power information is less than or equal to a preset value, proceeding to register the electronic device to the user account of the electronic device using the user information of the smart plug device.

15. In a non-transient readable recording medium storing a program for executing a method of controlling an electronic device, The above control method is, A step of obtaining first power information when the electronic device is switched on, comparing the first power information with second power information received from an external device to identify a smart plug device connected to the electronic device and obtaining ownership information of the smart plug device; and The method includes the step of registering the electronic device to the user account of the electronic device using user information including ownership information of the smart plug device obtained above; The above external device is a non-transient readable recording medium comprising at least one of the smart plug device, server, or user terminal device.

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